My first venture into using 3D printed parts. I found parts to make a SpaceX Falcon 9-Dargon launch vehicle on Shapeways and ordered them. the kit consited of the engine deck, bottom of the first stage, engine fairings and the Dragon capsule. I also had to print my own decals for the first time!

I finished up a couple of new models lately. The first up is a SpaceX Falcon Heavy, which will hopefully fly next year. If it works, I expect great things from this beast, fully reusable and a manned Lunar flyby are on the drawing boards.

27 Merlin Engines!

Payload.

This model is made with a few 3D printed parts and scratchbuilt parts.

Next is a Dream Chaser space shuttle on top of its Atlas V launch vehicle. The Dream Chaser is a small reusable Space Shuttle being built by Sierra Nevada Corporation and is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. They hope to test launch it in 2015 and manned flights in 2016 or 2017. The are SpaceX's competition.

Launching in December is the first test flight of NASA's Orion space craft on top of United Launch Alliance's Delta IV Heavy, currently the biggest rocket in the US. The mission will test the capsule with a high orbit and test the recovery and heat shield. The Navy will pick it out of the ocean after splashdown!